Sorry to hear that Justin. I know its little comfort but I have heard personally from 3 other people this year (not from this site) that have been attacked with at least 100 chiggers each. It is a very bad year for them, very bad.
I should have sprayed my bag with permethrin!
- Thread starter LongIslandPiney
- Start date
Sorry to hear that Justin. I know its little comfort but I have heard personally from 3 other people this year (not from this site) that have been attacked with at least 100 chiggers each. It is a very bad year for them, very bad.
The prolonged itching is usually the result of a secondary infection from scratching the bites. ChiggerX or chigger rid will help (alot). Also, if you make it to the beach, the ocean water seems to kill the itch and speed recovery for some reason. Good luck.
Jeff
Fall bow season and chiggers
My worst experiences with the little devils is always during fall bow season. I guess it's because I'm always off trail. I started walking to my stand in chest waders a few years ago to avoid being chewed up. It is awkward walking but well worth it, as the itch usually last 4 weeks or so with me also. Come on first frost!
My worst experiences with the little devils is always during fall bow season. I guess it's because I'm always off trail. I started walking to my stand in chest waders a few years ago to avoid being chewed up. It is awkward walking but well worth it, as the itch usually last 4 weeks or so with me also. Come on first frost!
I've always found it weird that I've never gotten a case of what I was sure were chigger bites. Either I've been extremely lucky, as I'm the worst in the world at avoiding bad areas and taking precautions, or I have a tolerance to their symptoms that caused me to not realize I had been bitten by them. Maybe living a few hundred yards from the saltmarsh and being fed on by greenheads, gnats, and both salt and freshwater mosquitoes for so many years has hardened my skin a bit.
Gracias,
Although I did a count last night, 45 is just in the front midsection. I'm going for about 75 total as a better guesstimate.
Tell you what, I've tried Chiggerx and calamine and nail polish. I really don't think anything works except strong will power to not scratch and not irritate them period. I've noticed they heal better and also stop itching sooner if you just leave them alone. But alas, it's a tough task indeed when you're sitting in a cube or office all day and have them nagging at you.
Peace,
Justin
You summed it up pretty well Justin. But if you want to try one more thing, check out IVarest - http://www.blistex.com/Ivarest.htm - it was the best of the lot that I tried a few years ago after a really nasty encounter. Probably not much different than the other calamine-type products though.
what about an oral anti-histamine (like benadryl) or take a trip to the doc and beg for something.. anything.. for those that don't like going to the doc or believe in modern meds, well bear with it i guess. i wouldn't. your day cannot be as productive as normal w/ this annoyance.. to me, time is money.
So i would take it that you would know if the chiggers got you right? Thankfully I havent had any problems, but you watch now that I said it Ill be screwed. I was out in the woods around Atsion on Labor Day, bushwacking like a fool but loving every minute. I did a fair share of wading in the Mullica and climbed through fierce briars to avoid the real deep water and I didnt come across any chiggers as far as I know. I have a couple itchy spots but its not intense and they really only itch when I read these posts ::laughs::
I get chiggers on me all the time. I usually don't know until I get home since they are VERY hard to see. I usually feel one before I ever know they are there. I have found that they get on my leg hairs and are invisible for the most part because they are just as thin as the hairs themselves. A good thing to do if you want to rid yourself of them is to take a shower and inspect yourself while you are wet. With the leg hairs matted down they "light" right up. I can see them right away on my feet, ankles and legs. The shower will also remove any specks of dirt and so when you come out of the shower you know that every speck is a chigger. I use a tweezer to pull em off. I hate those damn things. They don't seem to have them in other states and even north Jersey in the mountains!
Nope, no chiggers up here, nor a quarter as many ticks either. I think its that specific ecology in the barrens that provides them such a great habitat. Plus the truth is no "mountain" in Northern NJ is far from developed land, so there are all sorts of effects from spraying and other control regimes.
Thanks for that recommendation - I'll get some tomorrow! I got bitten by well over a hundred chiggers last week while photographing wildflowers at an old cranberry farm in Barnegat, and the only thing that seems to help me is vinegar - it stings, but helps to relieve the itching better than the cortisone creams. This is my first encounter with 'em, so it must be a bad year.
I'm a "newbie" here - been lurking around for quite a few years, and thought it was time to get my 2 cents in!
I'm a "newbie" here - been lurking around for quite a few years, and thought it was time to get my 2 cents in!
Mark, one of the worst load of ticks I ever got was walking up a big wooded hill behind Monksville Resevoir. Man, were they thick on that hill. I was fishing for Muskie. No luck that day either.